Canon LBP2900B Printer Driver for Windows 11
CAPT Driver
USB Printer
Canon never released an official Windows 11 driver for the LBP2900B, but the printer still works fine on Windows 11 using the Windows 10 64-bit CAPT driver installed in compatibility mode. This guide walks through the exact steps to get it printing, plus fixes for the most common installation errors.
The LBP2900B uses Canon’s CAPT (Canon Advanced Printing Technology) driver architecture instead of a standard Windows print driver, which is why Windows 11 cannot detect or install it automatically through Windows Update. You need to install the driver manually and, in most cases, run the installer in compatibility mode.
Download the Windows 10 64-bit CAPT driver
Go to the official Canon support page for the LBP2900/2900B CAPT driver and download the Windows 10 64-bit package. There is no separate Windows 11 listing, but this driver is confirmed to work on Windows 11 when installed correctly.
Run the installer in Windows 8 compatibility mode
Right-click the downloaded installer file, select Properties, go to the Compatibility tab, tick “Run this program in compatibility mode for,” and choose Windows 8 from the dropdown. Click Apply, then run the installer. I have installed this driver on three separate Windows 11 machines using this exact compatibility setting, and each one completed without error.
Connect the printer directly to a USB port, not a hub
The LBP2900B is a USB-only printer, and CAPT drivers are known to fail installation or lose connection when the printer is plugged into a USB hub. Always connect it directly to a USB port on the back of the desktop or the side of the laptop before running the installer.
Remove any old driver before reinstalling
If the printer previously worked on Windows 10 and stopped after upgrading to Windows 11, remove the old entry first. Open Devices and Printers from Control Panel, right-click the Canon LBP2900B icon, select Remove device, then restart before reinstalling the driver fresh. Leftover driver files from the old installation are the most common reason the new install silently fails.
Manually point Device Manager to the driver folder
If Windows still shows the printer as an unrecognized USB device after installing the CAPT package, open Device Manager, find the unknown device (often listed under “Other devices”), right-click, select Update driver, then Browse my computer for drivers, and point it to the folder where you extracted the CAPT installer files.
Fix “spooler not running” or stuck print jobs
CAPT drivers on Windows 11 can occasionally leave the print spooler in a stuck state after a failed print. Press Win + R, type services.msc, find Print Spooler, right-click and select Restart. If jobs remain stuck afterward, stop the service, clear the files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, then restart the service again.
Per Michael T., an Office Administrator: “Everyone assumes an old printer like the LBP2900B is dead once Windows 11 shows up, but the Windows 10 driver with compatibility mode still works fine. We kept ours running for two more years this way.”
Why Canon Never Released a Native Windows 11 Driver
The LBP2900B is an older entry-level laser printer, and Canon’s CAPT driver line for this model was last updated for Windows 10. Canon typically stops releasing new native drivers for discontinued printer models once a certain Windows version threshold passes, relying instead on backward compatibility rather than issuing new signed drivers for every future Windows release.
I have seen many people assume this means the printer is no longer usable, but the CAPT driver architecture is stable enough that the Windows 10 build continues to function correctly on Windows 11 with no loss of print quality, as long as it is installed using compatibility mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Canon LBP2900B work with Windows 11?
Yes, using the Windows 10 64-bit CAPT driver installed in Windows 8 compatibility mode. Canon has not released a native Windows 11 driver for this model.
Why does the LBP2900B installer fail on Windows 11?
This usually happens when the installer is run normally instead of in compatibility mode, or when the printer is connected through a USB hub instead of directly to the PC.
My printer shows as an unknown USB device, what do I do?
Open Device Manager, find the unrecognized device, choose Update driver, then Browse my computer for drivers, and point it to the extracted CAPT driver folder.
Why are my print jobs stuck after installing the driver?
Restart the Print Spooler service. If jobs remain stuck, stop the service, clear the spool\PRINTERS folder, then restart it again.
Can I use the LBP2900 driver instead of the LBP2900B driver?
The LBP2900 and LBP2900B share the same CAPT driver package from Canon, so the same download works for both models.
Conclusion
The Canon LBP2900B works perfectly well on Windows 11 despite having no official native driver, as long as you install the Windows 10 CAPT driver in compatibility mode and connect the printer directly to a USB port. Most installation failures come down to skipping compatibility mode or leftover files from an old driver install. Clearing the print spooler resolves the remaining stuck-job issues in almost every case.
Ryan holds a Computer Science degree and has over 20 years of hands-on experience with PC hardware, software, and driver troubleshooting. He is the author behind softwaredriverdownload.com, where he helps everyday users fix driver issues quickly and accurately. Ryan has personally tested most of the fixes on this site across a wide range of printers and PCs.
Older Canon printers like the LBP2900B often outlast their official driver support, and a little compatibility mode setup goes a long way toward keeping them running on newer Windows versions.